Not Always What It Seems
by Christy W
Summary: The FBI has another case for The Lightman Group- only this one is hitting closer to home than Cal would like (Alissa's Interests Series #6)
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Not Always What It Seems  
**Author**: Christy  
**Rating**: FR15  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these series...I'm just borrowing the situation for a bit. I may not own the series that Alissa filters through, but the concept of her is something I came up with  
**Genre**: Gen/AU Romance  
**Part**: 1/7  
**Fandoms**: Angel/Lie to Me/Highlander  
**Timeline**: After Angel's series finale; After season 1 for Lie to Me  
**Series**: Alissa's Interests  
**Summary**: The FBI has another case for The Lightman group- and this one hits closer to home than Cal would like

Cal Lightman may not have liked it, but he'd finally signed the papers agreeing to let MacKenzie Corporation take over some of the shares of The Lightman Group after Zoe had personally vouched for Mrs. MacKenzie. Apparently the women had met in New York at law school before Alissa had gone to take over control of the company from her ailing mother. It was her law expertise that had him calling her at nine at night, hoping she was at one of her U.S. offices and not overseas, as he'd seen talked about in the trades from time to time.

"MacKenzie," she answered in her typically brisk manner that always put Cal in mind of a military background, though he hadn't found any information to back up that assumption in her files.

"Mrs. MacKenzie, it's Cal Lightman."

"Doctor Lightman, what can I do for you?"

"Well, the FBI has asked for the company's help in a series of killings and Zoe suggested that you might be able to be of some help. I know that our original agreement was that you would not be assisting in active cases, but between what Zoe had to say about your legal expertise in some of the more…unusual cases she's had and what the FBI office in LA had to say about your help with their case, I felt it would be prudent to amend the agreement, for this case, at least."

Alissa smirked on her end of the line. "Really? Unusual occult related cases, you mean?" she asked, the laughter in her voice coming through clearly to Cal.

"Yeah, something like that," he admitted, still wondering to himself why he'd agreed to deal with her company in the first place. He still insisted to Foster, with her concurring, that Alissa was still hiding things from them. But, if he was truly honest with himself, he'd admit that even _he_hid things from his friends and family- that was part of the reason why he and Zoe had divorced.

"So, do you want to bring the information on the case you want me to consult on over to my office here in DC? I'll be here for a while- the Asian market just opened. But only if it's on your way home; I don't need you going out of your way if it would just be easier for me to get it in the morning."

"No, it sounds like a good idea to me. Where are your offices again?"

Alissa relayed the information to him then, hanging up the phone, turned to look at the other person lounging around after breakfast in her hotel suite. "So, want to pop back to DC with me for a few hours? I'd rather not try and explain how I managed to get from my talks here in Bangkok back to DC and back so fast to Dr. Lightman. If only the negotiations weren't so prickly due to these protests," she said with a frown as she took a bite of her croissant, glancing over at Methos sitting around in just his robe.

Her old friend grinned at her. "Yes, I do believe that trying to explain how you managed to show up in DC when the papers have you out here- without the whole magic angle- would be a bit difficult."

Alissa took the cup of coffee he poured for her and walked over to the window to look at the view for a moment before turning back to face him. "You never did tell me what you're doing in Bangkok yourself in the first place, Adam."

"I had a few things to take care of, so Joe sent me over to collect some of the older diaries while I was at it," he informed her, pointing to the leather bound books on top of his suitcase.

"That reminds me, how is the electronic archiving going?" she asked, having had most of her earlier objections to the project set aside the year before.

Methos grinned, remembering their confrontation at her office, even if her explanation had left him a bit unsettled. "It's going well. We're starting from the beginning, even though I know you and I thought it should have been done the other way."

"So, how far have you gotten?" she asked as she pulled out one of her designer suits while he slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"We're only up to about 2400BC or so, so you'd only have been in your 80s then," he told her, doing some quick mental calculations.

Alissa grinned as she snapped her fingers, transporting them both directly to her office in DC. Making people believe what she was doing was magic was so much easier than the truth, but that was an issue for another day. Turning to look at him while she turned off the alarm system, she asked if he'd like to stay when Cal came in or not. "I'll just listen in from next door," he told her with a grin, knowing the entire building was wired for sound and video, even though it was just for her own personal use. Alissa may be more safety conscious than most Immortals, but he put it down to her having been a Slayer as well, and therefore having more reasons to be concerned. Walking into the other room and pouring himself some more coffee, he sat down in one of the chairs and prepared to enjoy the show.

"The door's open," Alissa called out, studying the money transfers on the market and making notes for later.

Cal was intrigued by his first glimpse of her office. While having the stark lines needed to exude authority in American culture, which was especially true in a city like DC, she also had an alcove of mainly swords and other weaponry, while her windows offered up a view of the Potomac and Northern Virginia.

"You didn't want a view of the Capitol?" he wondered, setting the files down on a nearby coffee table.

Alissa finished up her notes before putting the television on mute and answering. "Why would I want a view of political excess at the expense of everyone else? I may live here in DC because it's advantageous to my company, but I dislike pandering. Can I get you anything to drink, Doctor?"

"Wine, if you have it," he said with a grin.

"I'm a bit of an aficionado, so I have plenty here," she said, pouring him a soft Italian red and a light white for herself since, by her internal clock, it was 12 hours later than what Cal was dealing with. She handed his glass off to him before taking a seat across the table from him.

Before handing the files to her, he said, "You know I called the FBI to see if you were cleared for this, right?"

Alissa let a small smile touch her lips as she saluted him with her glass. "I wouldn't expect anything less from the man who put me and my company under the microscope for six months before agreeing to give me shares of his company."

"Fair, and it's interesting when they told me how helpful you'd been with them in that case in LA a couple years ago. Finding a flaw in the facial recognition software and catching a killer all at the same time. A killer whose MO seems to closely match that of the one responsible for these latest crime scenes," he told her, flipping the folder open to reveal the photos within. Instead of shock, he saw sorrow and anger clear on her face as she looked over the grisly pictures.

"Could I keep a copy of these for a couple of days? I'd like to make a few phone calls and get back to you, if that's all right?" she asked.

"Certainly. I have to go pick up my daughter from her mother's right now, anyway," he explained, then was mildly surprised at the look of contentment that crossed her face, so discordant after the photos she'd just seen.

"How old is she? I have one of my own-a teenager," Alissa told him with a grin, getting up and bringing over a frame with a blond teenager grinning for the camera against a man-made replica of an ancient castle. Alissa flipped the folder closed as Cal looked over the photo. She saw enough death as it was- she didn't want it in her face right now.

He smiled as he handed it back. "What's her name?" he asked, even though the questions prevalent in his mind had more to do with how come there didn't seem to be any record of her having had any children, whether in her custody or not.

"Her name's Amber, and she just turned 16. She lives with her father more because I'm so busy with my businesses and she's a teenager- she needs stability," she told him, her face growing dark.

"You didn't have that kind of stability growing up," he said, stating a fact, not asking a question.

Alissa shook her head. "No, but how can you when your parents are dead and you get adopted into a new family. They really love you, but they're still not your real mom and dad," she said softly, admitting to herself for the first time that though she loved Deanna for adopting her, the pain of losing her parents in that earthquake was something that still pained her. Taking a deep breath, she smiled as she walked Cal back out to the elevator. "Like I said, I'll make a few calls and let you know what I've found out in a day or two, okay?"

As the doors closed in front of his face, Cal was reminded of that line from Lewis Carroll "Curiouser and curiouser". Alissa MacKenzie was definitely a puzzle, but if she could help him with this baffling case, he would surely be thankful.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Not Always What It Seems  
**Author**: Christy  
**Rating**: FR18- there be a bit of marital nookie herein :P  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these series...I'm just borrowing the situation for a bit. I may not own the series that Alissa filters through, but the concept of her is something I came up with  
**Genre**: Gen/AU Romance  
**Part**: 2/7  
**Fandoms**: Angel/Lie to Me/Highlander/Labyrinth  
**Timeline**: After Angel's series finale; After season 1 for Lie to Me  
**Series**: Alissa's Interests  
**Summary**: The FBI has another case for The Lightman group- and this one hits closer to home than Cal would like

Joe Dawson about had a heart attack when Alissa and Methos literally popped in on him in London at the Watcher's Council. Both the Immortal and Slayer sides had spent most of the past few years trying to get things back into working order after the attack by the First, which is why Joe had trained a replacement for his role in Duncan's life and moved to London to help out. Thankfully, most of the Immortal Watchers that had perished had been of the "Let's kill all Immortals" camp, so they weren't missed that much.

"Must you do that?" he demanded of Alissa as he continued shuffling paperwork around on his desk.

Alissa grinned as Methos replied "We've gotta keep you on your toes at your age. Keep the blood flowing, you know."

Joe snorted as he took some papers to file in one of the cabinets. "I know a few good ways to keep my blood flowing and none of them involve a witch popping in to visit and scare the living daylights out of an old man," he rejoined, motioning them to sit.

The two Immortals laughed as they sat down and made themselves comfortable.

"So what has you guys coming over like this instead of through normal channels?"

"Well, for one thing, Joe, I'm still in Bangkok, officially, and secondly, a case that I was asked to advise on has me needing your help," Alissa explained, handing over the folder with photos and names of the victims, ten in all. "We need to know which Watchers were delegated to these Immortals, to see if we can get any information from them. Normally, I wouldn't bother, but this is looking like a serial killer case, at least from the viewpoint of the FBI. They've managed to keep this quiet, but I'm worried it might be a copycat of The Slayer case from LA…luckily that was just a human who'd been infected with the bullshit party line from your ex-brother in law. I'm worried this is an Immortal not bothering to cover his tracks, and the FBI still wants to know who might be doing this."

"All right, let me just look them up," Joe agreed, going over to his computer and started to input the names on the list. The other two watched with increasing concern as Joe grew more and more confused.

"Joe, what is it?"

He turned to Alissa, concern clear on his face. "None of the names you gave me are in our system as Immortals- not one."

"So maybe they went off the grid," she suggested, though she knew in her heart of hearts that was highly unlikely for this amount of missing people.

"Nope, sorry to disappoint you both, but none of them are in here. I even ran the facial recog software from what you and Charlie gave me- no dice. Not a single one of them was an Immortal."

Alissa looked at Methos in growing horror. "Then we have a bigger problem than I first thought. If this isn't an Immortal going for the One, who is it and why behead his victims?"

Alissa headed over to Doctor Lightman's house the next evening as invited, despite having to have gone back to Asia to finalize some aspects of her negotiations before flying home, so that there was an official record of her having come back to the States. After spending most of the night in London going over what, if anything, she could explain to Cal about what she thought might be going on, though she was as confused now as him as to who it was, they'd decided to use an old ploy that had worked before. "Here's the information I've gathered so far- it's apparently the adopted son of a man who went by the name of Kalas. Kalas believed here was a group of people who were watching and following him at all times, thinking he was an immortal being. We don't know- there were psych evaluations of the father before he attacked a Duncan MacLeod in Paris back in 1996 and MacLeod defended himself, killing Kalas. I don't know if the son was party to his father's delusions or not and might have waited until he was grown to try and come after people who might point him toward wherever Duncan might be now."

"So you're not sure any more than I am whether or not we're looking for an organized killer who is waited patiently for years to have his revenge for his father being killed or a disorganized killer who is just randomly finding connections to his victims," Cal clarified, looking up from his own notes.

"We're more worried that it might be the former, rather than the latter," she agreed, praying to Lord and Lady that he'd believe what they'd spent half the night cooking up. But Cal caught on to something other than her expression. "We? Who else is involved in your assessment?"

"An old associate of mine- Adam Pierson. He has dealt with cases similar to this before, and he was actually in Paris when it happened. It turns out that he's good friends with Mr. MacLeod," she explained smoothly.

"Well, if this is someone you've worked with before, I will have to bow to your expertise on this," Cal told her, just as Emily came into the room, a note in her hand.

"Em, luv, you okay? Have a good night at your friend's?" he called out as she went by.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," she said absently as she headed upstairs.

Alissa put a gentle hand on his arm as he went to go after her. "If she's anything like mine, a boy gave her a note and she doesn't want you to stress about it. I know how freaked out Jareth was when one of the boys in the…area started showing interest in Amber."

Lightman turned to her with a grin. "If he's anything like me, he gave the little git a piece of his mind. I'll just take this information to the FBI and you let me know when you have anything else, okay?"

"Certainly."

Alissa fumbled for her cell phone beside the bed while her husband grumbled from next to her. "Hello? This is Alissa MacKenzie," she answered softly, getting up and walking out of the royal chambers to let him sleep. They hadn't gotten to bed for quite some time that night, since Alissa didn't have as much time to pop into the kingdom lately as she would have liked, so Jareth liked to make up for lost time every chance he got.

"Uh, Miss MacKenzie? Um, this is Emily Lightman, Doctor Lightman's daughter?"

Alissa pulled a robe on as she walked out on the balcony of the castle to better hear the young girl. "Yes, I remember seeing you earlier tonight. What can I do for you?"

"Well, um, I found this note in my locker the other day at school and kinda thought I should give you a call about it," the girl informed her hesitantly.

At this point, Alissa's sixth sense was going haywire, but she gently urged the teen to explain exactly what she meant. "Well, the note, uh said 'If you want to save the case and your family, keep Alissa MacKenzie away from it and your investigation.'"

Furious at whoever would try and get at her through not just unknowing mortals, but a young girl on top of it, she began pacing back and forth to try and stay calm enough to not alarm Emily. "Emily, have you talked to your father about this too?"

"Uh, yeah," came out more of a question than a statement, which gave Alissa her answer.

"I have a teenager of my own, about your age, and whenever she says 'uh, yeah' like that, it usually means 'uh, no', so no, you haven't told him yet, have you?" she asked again, the groan loud and clear on the other end. "Now, for me to begin to try and fix this, you need to first discuss this with your father first thing in the morning, and then I'll be able to talk it over with him later, okay?"

Emily sighed heavily over the phone. "Okay."

"All right then. Good night, my dear," Alissa said, then turned at some rustling behind her to see Jareth coming up beside her, a smile on his face, as she hung up the phone.

"I was trying to let you get some sleep," she groused as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply.

"You know I don't ever sleep as well when you're not there beside me. So what's going on with this case of yours?"

"Things just got a little more serious- one of the players in this deadly little game seems concerned with me helping out on the case and threatened Doctor Lightman's family, so I have to go try and calm tensions in the morning."

"Until then, however, I do believe my wife promised to enjoy herself to the fullest while she was with me, if I remember correctly," he said with a grin as he pulled her back into the room and slipped her robe back off. He left her nude in the moonlight streaming in through the windows, while palming her breasts, grabbing them just the way she liked it. Her head fell back on a moan and her eyes slid shut as she reveled in the sensations Jareth evoked in her. Oh, she enjoyed being Immortal and had had multiple lovers and husbands over the centuries, but what with Jareth being as immortal as she by virtue of being a fae king, she was glad to have found someone like him for the long haul.

"I love you. You do know that," she whispered against his mouth.

"As do I, my Queen. Always and forever," he replied, as he guided them both back to the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Not Always What It Seems  
**Author**: Christy  
**Rating**: FR15  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these series...I'm just borrowing the situation for a bit. I may not own the series that Alissa filters through, but the concept of her is something I came up with  
**Genre**: Gen/AU Romance  
**Part**: 3/7  
**Fandoms**: Angel/Lie to Me/Highlander  
**Timeline**: After Angel's series finale; After season 1 for Lie to Me  
**Series**: Alissa's Interests  
**Summary**: The FBI has another case for The Lightman group- and this one hits closer to home than Cal would like  
**Author's Note**: The restaurant mentioned really does exist and its food is really THAT good- .com

Alissa was in her DC office the next morning when her phone rang.

"What in the bloody hell is going on? I wake up this morning to hear my daughter's been threatened by this murderer and has decided calling you instead of talking to me first was a bloody good idea," Cal railed at her when she answered the phone.

Reigning in her own sizable temper, she calmly stated "Which is why when she called me last night, I promptly advised her to let you know, which she obviously did. Now, we need to look into this more closely, so would you and Emily care to meet me at my office here, say, around eight tonight?" she asked mentally calculating what all she still had to do at work that day.

"As long as I can get some bloody answers," Lightman agreed tersely and hung up.

Alissa sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. This case was getting more and more serious and who was this human who obviously didn't want her involved?

_We know it's probably not an Immortal but other than Watchers and their trainees, who else would know about how to so closely mimic an Immortal kill?_she wondered. She shook her head in a vain attempt to dissuade the headache creeping up her temples as she picked up the phone again to call Methos. They needed to know more about these victims and she couldn't be seen very much looking around into the victims, just in case the note writer was deadly serious.

Emily looked around the offices in awe. First, Ms. MacKenzie had sent a secure car for her and her father, then had them whisked up to her private office.

"I have to applaud you on your security measures," Cal commented once they'd all sat down, drinks in hand.

"Thank you. Security has always been paramount to me over the years. Now, Emily, why did you call me about this note? Why not talk to your father?"

Emily looked between her father and Alissa and back, worry and concern full on her face. "Well, I know Dad can take care of himself, but I wasn't sure if you could," she admitted. "I mean, I've heard Mom talk about how some lawyers are great in the courtroom, but useless in the real world. I didn't want that to happen to you."

Alissa hid a grin behind her wine glass. "Well, Emily, I truly thank you for your concern, but if everyone's in danger, as the note threatens, don't you think your father knowing first could help prevent that?" she asked gently.

Emily sighed. "Yeah, you're right. So now what are we going to do about it?"

"Well, since they were able to get close to Emily without suspicion instead of trying to come and threaten me directly, I'd like to have your core team members brought over here in a little bit. I know you can read when people are lying, but I'm a bit of a sensitive, so I'd be able to get a sense of _what_they're lying about," Alissa explained to Cal, trying to downplay her telepathy.

She watched Cal mull it over then reluctantly agree. "I know you run a very tight ship with your people, so having suspicion about my own people is only natural. I don't have to like it, but it's just instinct on your part. I'll call Foster and have them all sent over here. Do you want me to stay and observe?"

"No, I think they might know something's off, if you're here with me. If it's just me, I can pass it off as just wanting to know how things are going with my investment in your company," she clarified as Cal nodded in understanding.

"Oi, stay here and out of trouble until I get back, hear?" he ordered, pointing a finger at his daughter until he received her subdued acknowledgement.

"He means well, you know," Alissa commented after he'd walked out to make the call. "I know mine gets the same way around her father, too," she counseled as Emily grumbled.

"But I'm not a total kid. I can help him out with this if he'd just let me!" the teenager cried.

"Darling, to him, you'll always be his little girl, and dads have a hard time letting go of that fact, even if you're grown up and have kids of your own. And trust me, you'll be helping the most by staying here- out of the way- while we try and figure out what's going on."

Alissa decided it would seem more relaxed and laidback for her to greet the three profilers in her side office, which she'd designed with comfort rather than style in mind. This had led to quite a few lucrative contracts being agreed upon in the past due to partners being lulled into complacency. Her discussion with Gillian hadn't revealed anything more damning than a high appreciation and romantic love for Dr. Lightman. Ria Torres, on the other hand, not only had a bit of an argumentative streak in her, but also had either latent telepathic talents of her own or, as was Alissa's guess, had some training in mental blocks, but she didn't know who might have trained the younger woman just yet. She had just sent Ria out to ask Loker to come up when she felt the Buzz of an approaching Immortal. Walking over to her umbrella stand and laying a hand on the sword cane there, she tried to look casual as the door opened. She was surprise to see Thomas come through the door, however. The former Jew, (he had said it was hard for him to reconcile his religion with the fact of him being made Immortal), had first been her lover in Budapest in the 1620s after she'd left Scotland and a younger Duncan, and they'd run into each other a few times over the centuries since then.

"Thomas, now really isn't a good time. I'd love to go to dinner and catch up with you about what we've both been up to since we saw each other last, but-" she started to say, but stopped as the grin on his face grew wider. He just kept grinning as he walked over and slid his hands up her arms before pulling her close and kissing her deeply. She kissed him back at first, then pushed back a little bit. "Thomas," she began again.

"Actually, it's Eli Loker now," he told her with a laugh.

Alissa couldn't help but share his grin before laughing out loud and kissing him again, which had Lightman charging into the room, slamming the door open again.

"What's going on? I thought you were busy trying to figure things out, not flirt with Loker."

Alissa turned to him, eyes bright with laughter and her arms still wrapped around the other man. "I'm actually doing both. Whomever sent this note isn't part of your inner circle. Someone else is behind it," she informed him firmly.

Cal frowned, glancing back and forth between the two Immortals before saying "Well, if you two are gonna shag, just wait 'til I can get my daughter out of here first, okay?"

Loker just smirked. "Gotcha, boss. Oh, and can I get into work a little later tomorrow?" he called out jokingly as Lightman walked back out.

"No! Bright and early, just like always, and no gloating about it," was his called back answer.

"As if I would," he muttered as he followed Alissa back into her main office. She grabbed her copies of the files then called down to have one car brought around for the Lightmans and another, sans driver, for her and Eli.

Once in the car, she tipped her car service and then merged with traffic that was heading out of DC, taking Route 50 towards 295.

"So, where are we going, and what was that entire testing thing about us in The Group?" Loker asked after Alissa had just sat there in silence for a few minutes after turning the radio on to a local soft rock station.

"A little restaurant I enjoy in Greenbelt that is actually quite discretionary and since it's not in DC proper, not a lot of the bigwigs in Washington really know about it," she informed him, then indicated her briefcase at his feet. "You being a part of The Lightman Group actually makes discussing the full extent of the case with you a lot easier."

"You mean besides the fact this looks way too much like the Slayer case from LA?" he asked as she turned into the parking lot of the Sir Walter Raleigh Inn.

"Among other things," she acknowledged as she greeted the hostess, who promptly guided them to a corner table in the smaller dining room.

She pulled out the paperwork after they'd ordered drinks- wine for her and a pilsner for him. Her explaining her findings to him as well as the facts that Joe had uncovered and explained to her took them through most of dinner, with her making notes about his observations so far.

"So, what you're telling me is that the four most recent ones have been around in the general metro D.C. area for less than three years or so apiece and moved in from totally different parts of the country? Do we know anything else about them?" she asked, sipping on her after dinner scotch.

Loker sipped his beer while looking over some of the crime scene photos again. Something in one of them caught his eye and he began flipping back and forth between a few of them before displaying half a dozen photos in front of Alissa.

"Well, here's something the coroners obviously didn't connect- they all have scarring on their left wrists. Mutilation of the bodies like this indicates a personal connection of some sort to the victims. This changes the whole MO," he insisted. "Did the autopsy reports mention any other signs of abuse?"

Alissa flipped through the paperwork on the autopsies in question. "Just a few broken bones and minor burns, but the breaks and tears all looked to have been weeks older than the burn," Alissa said clinically, though inwardly she was starting to have a horrible idea of what was really going on with this case and why these specific people were being targeted. She just had to make a few phone calls first to be absolutely certain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Not Always What It Seems  
**Author**: Christy  
**Rating**: FR15  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these series...I'm just borrowing the situation for a bit. I may not own the series that Alissa filters through, but the concept of her is something I came up with  
**Genre**: Gen/AU Romance  
**Part**: 4/7  
**Fandoms**: Angel/Lie to Me/Highlander  
**Timeline**: After Angel's series finale; After season 1 for Lie to Me  
**Series**: Alissa's Interests  
**Summary**: The FBI has another case for The Lightman group- and this one hits closer to home than Cal would like

After her dinner with Loker, Alissa had stayed up half the night, dictating her theories, ideas and thoughts to her computer. She emptyed her head of all that she'd thought of related to the case so far around dawn then headed upstairs to try and sleep for a few hours. She had a hunch that things with this case were going to take up a larger portion of her time than she'd originally thought, so she'd had to leave the basic negotiations in Thailand to her able-bodied assistant and pray for the best. Right at the moment, however, she was pacing back and forth in her office on a video conference call with Giles in New York and Joe in London, while Methos was sitting in on the meeting in the room with her.

"He needs to be told, Joe," she insisted for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"Alissa, we've been over this- individual Immortals have it at their discretion who they want to tell about themselves and how much. But I'm not going to jeopardize the livelihood and safety of both Immortals and Watchers by letting Doctor Lightman know how badly we screwed up. The records are sorely incomplete, on both sides, as I know Rupert has told you. I think the only reason we didn't catch on to this sooner was because of this chaos after the attack by the First. As it is, we're notifying as many Watchers- in both groups- as we can, telling them they need to be extra careful about their surroundings. I don't want to know how bad it could have gotten if you hadn't called me."

"One thing, though, Joe," Giles put in. "If the software and database are up and running, which I know Willow told me it was, how did we all miss this?"

"Simple, actually," Alissa snapped, more mad with herself than anyone else at the moment. "The original computer program setup was only keyed in to Immortal data. When we modified it to include Watchers, all the names on my list popped up," she explained, grumbling about the fallacies of computer programs and wanting more than just ones and zeros as she walked over to the sidebar.

Methos chuckled and she glared at him while pouring herself a drink. Looking back up at the video screens, she asked "So what do I explain to Thomas- Loker, I mean? He obviously didn't get the true significance of the scarring on the wrists to cover up the Watcher tattoos- so do I explain about them to him or just leave it alone for now?"

"I would suggest you just let things run in a natural way," Giles said "But, I do agree with Joe that Dr. Lightman shouldn't be told unless the letter writer does try to follow through on his threat to harm the Doctor's family. We can't be giving up one of our groups biggest secrets unless it's necessary."

"Yes," Methos agreed "and thanks all the gods that when you had to explain things to Charlie and Don, it had more to do with Angel and Wolfram and Hart than Immortals."

"Yes, I know," Alissa agreed "but I don't think we're going to get so lucky this time around," she predicted. "So, gentlemen, what load of…creative writing will I be giving to The Lightman Group when I go to update them on what I found out tomorrow."

Loker was busy taking notes on the jury selection videos the defense attorney in a murder case had given them when Cal walked in that afternoon. The younger man propped his hip up against the desk then waited until Eli noticed him. "So, do you really think it's a good idea to be shagging one of our married investors?"he asked bluntly.

"We actually just went out to dinner and then she drove me home," Loker replied, not taking his eyes off of the computer screen.

"All right, I'll give you that, but you have shagged in the past. Now, the question is if this was before she invested in this company or afterwards?" he demanded, whipping the other man's chair around to face him and getting into Loker's face.

Eli just sat there, studying him steadily for a moment. "Before- years before. I didn't even know it was the same Alissa- I was out of the office doing research when she stopped by the last time, remember? And how do you know she's married now?"

"For one thing, the ring on her hand- the ornate garnet one on her ring finger," Cal informed him.

Loker smirked. "I hate to disappoint you, but she bought that ring in Budapest back when I first met her. So no, she's had that ring for years- she may not always wear it, but she's definitely had it for a while," he said, grinning as if at a private joke, Cal felt.

Cal filed it away in his slowly growing mental file of things he really didn't know about Loker.

"On a similar note," Loker put in "what note was she talking about that you two thought might have something to do with me, Torres or Foster?"

"Picked up on that, eh? Well, someone managed to get a note to Emily, threatening me and my family if I didn't get Mrs. MacKenzie away from helping with the case," Cal explained.

Loker raised his brows at that information. "So you two figured out it wasn't us- then who do you think it could have been?"

"I have no clue, but Mrs. MacKenzie is the one with the money and access to better detectives to figure that out. She called earlier and said she'd look into it more and get back with me tomorrow. Hopefully we won't have to worry about another headless body for a few days at least."

"Unless it's a politician whose head blew up from too much rhetoric," Eli put in with a grin. "'Cause then we'd just throw a party."

Cal tried and failed to hold back his own matching grin. "Let's hope you're right."

Richard McDonald froze when he heard the hiss and pop of the acetylene torch. He had no idea why anyone would have kidnapped him in the first place. He was just a minor Watcher for a rather young Immortal. Mr. Dawson had said this assignment would be an easy way to get his feet wet in the field. Instead this guy had asked for help with getting a couch into his place when Rich was heading home. Seeing the man had a cast on his broken arm, Richard had agreed to help and had barely put the couch down when he was hit over the head. When he'd woken up, he was in this warehouse and the guy, who obviously didn't have a broken arm, had told him they were going to play a little game of Twenty Questions. And after that is when Richard started screaming. The blond man had blindfolded him before bringing out things that burned him or cut him or stabbed him. All the while, the other man would ask him the most ordinary sounding questions, which confused the Watcher even more. He never knew when the questions and the pain would end; then he'd be untied and unblindfolded and brought to a little room where he was allowed to eat and sleep for a while. This confusing cycle continued for so long, it felt endless to Richard. But today, the man seemed to have a purpose in mind.

"Now, Richard, let's play another round. So, who do you Watch over? We've already established you're a Watcher- so who do you Watch?" the man asked in a matter of fact voice as Richard felt the heat get closer to his skin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Not Always What It Seems  
**Author**: Christy  
**Rating**: FR15  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these series...I'm just borrowing the situation for a bit. I may not own the series that Alissa filters through, but the concept of her is something I came up with  
**Genre**: Gen/AU Romance  
**Part**: 5/7  
**Fandoms**: Angel/Lie to Me/Highlander  
**Timeline**: After Angel's series finale; After season 1 for Lie to Me  
**Series**: Alissa's Interests  
**Summary**: The FBI has another case for The Lightman group- and this one hits closer to home than Cal would like

Alissa was watching the news the next morning when a 30 second blurb had her setting down her coffee in anger and frustration and picking up her cell phone when it rang.

"Do you have credentials to get into the crime scene?" Cal asked when she picked up, neither one in the mood for pleasantries at that moment.

"Yes I do. Give me five minutes to change and I'll be there," she explained, hanging up with him for a moment before dialing another number.

"Adam, can you come pick me up? Oh, you've seen the story too? Good- less explaining on my part. I'll see you in a few."

Methos looked at the broken and bloodied body of one of his former colleagues, angry, furious and frustrated. Consort knew why someone was targeting Watchers, but did it have to have been one of the ones he'd known and liked? Peter Wilson had been one of his fellow researchers, though his specialty had been, ironically, the Immortal he'd known as Phoebe of Smyrna and Methos knew as the woman who had warmed his bed many times in the past. As if hearing his thoughts, which he knew she could pick up on from time to time, Alissa looked up from viewing the body, her eyes as hurt and frustrated as he imagined his were. Walking over, she ran her hands up and down his arms while resting their foreheads together.

"You knew this one," she said, not even asking. Methos nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment. He'd seen a lot of death- caused a lot of it- but this mortal death really affected him. Taking a deep breath, he explained to her who Peter had been and how he'd known him. Alissa smiled a little when he told her who Peter had been researching, but it faded when Cal walked up, catching the tail end of his explanation.

"So you knew this man back when his head was still on his shoulders?" Cal asked, Alissa having introduced them when they'd both arrived, but Adam was used to mortals and their going for the jugular style by now and didn't even blink.

"Yes, we were both working on research projects on ancient historical figures," he explained, the familiar lie rolling off his tongue.

Cal narrowed his eyes and stared at the older man. "And who was funding your research, because Mr. Wilson over there looks well put together in his expensive English made clothing."

"The WIC- Watchers International Coalition. They're a group dedicated to making sure the past is never forgotten," he informed Lightman with a serious look.

If anything, Cal's interest in Alissa's old friend increased at that statement. "I'd heard of that group from time to time when I was back home. Didn't they lose half of their group in a terrorist attack a few years back?" he demanded.

_Well, that's the_ official _statement; at least, the one MI5 let us release!_Alissa thought with an ironic smirk.

"Yes they did," Methos said sadly. "I can explain more about his research and how well I knew him later. Right now, I have to call his daughter and see if I can come by to comfort her."

Lightman didn't miss the look Adam gave Alissa or her silent nod. "I'll see you back at the office later," she told him quietly before Methos walked off, already pulling out his phone to call Joe.

Cal watched Alissa watch Adam drive off before she turned to him, determination firm on her face. "Is the ME ready to transport the body yet?"

"I believe so- that's why I was coming this way to tell you. So, did you know Mr. Wilson too?" he asked as they walked to his car.

"No, I can't say that I did." Looking up from her musings, she glanced over at Lightman. "Adam drove me here, so do you think I could ride with you to the coroner's?"

"Certainly, luv."

Alissa threw her suit jacket over the back of her chaise lounge and laid her shoes back in the closet before sighing deeply. _There are just some days,_ she mused _where it seems like everything is just dumping on you all at once._Between Methos knowing the latest victim and the ME confirming the burn marks on the arm as well as other signs of older breaks, Alissa knew that this case would be hard on everyone before it was done- cases involving torture usually were. She was certainly not looking forward to the next talk she'd have to do. However, after Methos had called Joe, he'd called her to verify what had happened and ask for help getting a flight from London to D.C. It had been the highlight of her otherwise dreary day to explain to him with a laugh that the Councils had always had at least two jets at their disposal, courtesy of the excesses of previous Council Heads. The bell at her front door rang and she pulled on soft flats and checked the ease of removal on the Delco clipped to her bra. Steel might have worked better with her aggressive in-laws, but sometimes it was still good to have something sharp on her at all times.

"Hey, Joe, hope your flight wasn't too crazy," she said, greeting the Watcher at the door.

"No, it was really quite pleasant- I could get used to this," he said with a chuckle.

Alissa smiled as she lead him into the living room of her D.C. townhouse. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Oh, just a beer- you know us Americans and our plebian tastes," he joked lightly before growing serious.

"So how did _you_know Peter Wilson? Methos didn't want to talk about it much, but I got the impression they grew to be friend while on their respective research projects," Alissa asked as she handed him his drink.

Joe took a sip and nodded. "Adam was working on the Methos Chronicles and Peter was working on researching you. He'd requested a transfer back to field work about five years ago, after his wife died. And to think he'd sent me his last journal entry about the Immortal he'd been following just a couple weeks ago," he said sadly.

Alissa glanced up from her own drink at his last words, her eyes sharp. "What did you just say?"

"Peter had emailed me, telling me his latest Immortal assignment had died about two weeks ago."

"Joe, that's impossible. The coroner said he'd been killed three weeks ago and stored in some sort of refrigeration unit until about twelve hours before he was found! He couldn't have been the one to send that report," she declared, jumping up and grabbing her landline to call Methos.

"Hey, beautiful- get your Immortal ass back over here. We're about to do another old fashioned research party over at my place."


	6. Chapter 6

**Title**: Not Always What It Seems  
**Author**: Christy  
**Rating**: FR15  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these series...I'm just borrowing the situation for a bit. I may not own the series that Alissa filters through, but the concept of her is something I came up with  
**Genre**: Gen/AU Romance  
**Part**: 6/7  
**Fandoms**: Angel/Lie to Me/Highlander/Labyrinth  
**Timeline**: After Angel's series finale; After season 1 for Lie to Me  
**Series**: Alissa's Interests  
**Summary**: The FBI has another case for The Lightman group- and this one hits closer to home than Cal would like

The next morning, Joe headed into the kitchen and started fixing some coffee for all three of them. He simply raised a brow when the normally immaculate Alissa stumbled into the room, eyes half closed and hair askew. She grumbled something about "too many late night research parties" as she poured herself a cup with a liberal addition of cream and sugar. The younger man watched as she seemed to claim bits of her sanity with her first cup of the day and was calmly discussing theories with him by the time her second one was done. She was revising the notes she'd taken the night before by the time Methos woke up and made his way downstairs to join them.

"So, what did you two find out after I crashed?" Joe wanted to know.

"Well, we don't know if the time between death and discovery is always the same amount or not. However, all of the dead Watchers had reported their latest assignments as being the loser in a duel, but not always by the same Immortal, so we think that might be part of the cover. What I'd like to know is why no one noticed the Watchers had all been gone for the two weeks or so before their bodies were found," Alissa exclaimed.

Joe could only shrug. "All I can say in our defense is that it's because of the chaos The First left us all in and the simple fact that Watchers are mostly autonomous and loners to boot. It's kinda hard to make serious friends when you're moving around after an Immortal. Whomever this guy is- and I think we're all agreed that it's an Immortal or some mortal close to him doing the actual torture- they knew exactly when and how to capitalize on this weakness in our system."

"You mean, such as having a spy in the Council?" Methos hypothesized.

"Either that, or he has access to a seer or some similar conduit of some kind. At least we know it can't be Cordelia- she would have let us know if another Immortal was nearby in LA," Alissa commented.

"Which reminds me, how did the lovely Seer become one of us again?" Methos asked.

"Well, she pitched a fit to The Powers That Be after the Shanshu prophecy made Angel an immortal human- something to the effect of that she wasn't going to let them screw with her and Angel being together anymore. But since the Powers could only grant true immortality via prophecy, they apparently did a little metaphysical bargaining and made her an Immortal, though she tries to avoid The Game like the Plague," she explained with a smirk.

"Wow, that was almost approaching Willow babble state," Joe joked with a grin, having met the young witch a few times during the main rebuilding of the Council.

Alissa was going to respond when there was a furious pounding on her front door. Reaching up over the lintel of the doorway, grabbing the dagger she'd hidden there and stowing it at the small of her back, Alissa headed to the front of the house to see what the commotion was all about. After seeing who was there at eleven on a Monday morning, she motioned Lightman and his family into the townhouse. She guided them into the living room, Zoe pale and shaky, Emily holding on tightly to her mother's hand and Cal looking coldly furious. Pouring two fingers of brandy into a glass, she set the drink into Zoe's nerveless fingers, urging the other woman to take a seat. Emily sat next to her, but Alissa could clearly see, even if she couldn't pick up on Cal's thoughts, that he was too pissed to sit down.

"Cal, would you please stop pacing for a moment?" Zoe asked softly as she sipped on the brandy and watched Cal perch on the edge of the sofa.

"Zoe, what happened?" Alissa asked gently.

"She was bloody well grabbed by that psycho- that's what!" Cal exploded, bouncing back up. Alissa put a restraining hand on Zoe's shoulder when she went to protest, and nodded for her to explain.

"I was just leaving the courthouse when I was grabbed by a man with blond hair. He took my arm and pushed a gun into my side, forcing me to get into the car with him. He drove around for a bit and explained that this was Cal's last warning- if he didn't want to wake up one day to find me and Emily like the rest of the victims, we had to make sure you were off the case," she told the older woman, her voice shaking.

"So you want to tell us why the bloody hell they want you away from this case so badly?" Cal demanded.

"Give me one second and I'll be able to explain," Alissa told them, heading back to the kitchen and grabbing both Joe and Methos. Both men had made a valiant effort to ignore the shouting match at the front of the house, but hadn't really managed very well. "Well Joe, looks like I finally got my wish," she informed him morosely. "So can you come help me explain what's really going on to them?"

After introductions were made, Alissa and Joe explained that it was an Immortal and their spy behind the murders of their Watchers. Methos, still in the guise of Adam Pierson, mild mannered research student, had taken Emily upstairs to the entertainment room to keep her occupied while Joe and Alissa explained things.

"So, them being Watchers is why the arm was burned to obscure the tattoo identifying them. Because if it had been noticed, the Council would have caught on sooner and the jig, as they say, would be up," Zoe summarized.

"Well, I get why they're doing it- trying to get information on the Immortals so that they can take heads easier. I even get why you and Adam are involved, Joe- you're both Watchers. But why feel threatened by you at all, MacKenzie? And don't say it's the money from your corporation, because this guy seems to really have it in for you specifically," Cal demanded.

Alissa looked over to Joe with a grin. "Should I go for the melodrama?"

"Might as well," he replied with a shrug. "First aid kit still in the same place in here?" She nodded then pulled the dagger from its sheath at her back. Cal made to grab it from her and Joe stopped him. "Just sit back and watch," he ordered.

Zoe's eyes grew wide as Alissa took a hold of the dagger in a two handed grip and stabbed herself in the heart. Cal rushed over the moment Joe let go of him, pulling the knife out and putting pressure on the wound.

"You're not going to die on me now, MacKenzie," he ordered as she grinned again.

"Don't worry-I won't be for long," she whispered and died.

He whipped around, glaring at Joe, who just sat there calmly, the first aid kit on his lap. "What the bloody hell's wrong with you? How could you just let her kill herself like that?" he yelled out as there was a gasp of breath behind him and Alissa spoke.

"An object lesson, if you will, and, as you can see, I've developed a flare for the dramatic over the centuries," she explained as Joe handed her alcohol swabs and gauze pads. She winced as she wiped the blood off of her. "Lord and Lady, that fucking hurt! The demonstration, Dr Lightman, was to explain why he's running scared- he knows _of_me at least, and isn't sure he can beat me in a fair fight, especially since my Watcher is, well, on the police force. He knows better than to go after him." She looked down at her blood splattered top and grimaced. "I'm going to go wash and change and we can see what we can do from here on out when I get back."

As she was walking upstairs, she heard Zoe's whispered question. "How old **is**she?" and Joe's wry reply.

"Very."

When she came back downstairs in a long cashmere sweater and leggings, Cal and Zoe were busy arguing over whether or not to let Alissa continue assisting in the case.

"Look, Cal, this psycho, as you put it, tried to kidnap me and threatened me and our daughter!" Zoe shouted. "I'm not going to have her helping out if it means any of your family could get killed."

"All I said was that her continuing to work with us could probably force the other Immortal's hand," Cal yelled back as Alissa sent a silent prayer of thanks to Goddess and Consort that Emily didn't have to hear any of this. "Besides which, Zo, it's still my company and I say MacKenzie here still gets to help- from the safety of the lab. I'll have Loker and Torres keep her company while we deal with whatever comes next. Because you'd better believe we have him running now, and pissed off, to boot." He turned to look at Alissa, who was calmly sitting in her lounge chair, looking as cool and composed as could be. "And that's not a request, got it? We may know you're mostly indestructible, but most of everyone else doesn't, so I want you under lock and key while you're working with us, clear?"

"Crystal, but I will add that that will only apply when it comes to when I'm at The Lightman Group. I'm not going to put my businesses on hold just because one damn Immortal has an inkling of how bad I can hurt them if I want," she countered.

"Fair enough," Cal agreed, then turned to his ex-wife. "Good enough for you, luv?"

Zoe just sighed as she walked over to a returning Emily and hugged her tightly. "I guess it'll have to do for now," she said resignedly.

Lightman was going over what evidence they'd managed to find at the latest drop site of one Richard McDonald. Whoever was torturing these people, he was definitely accelerating now- the previous victims seemed to have been taken once every month or so, with it graduated to where the previous victim was being murdered while the torture for the next one was just beginning. Now it seemed like the taking of the Watchers was overlapping more. _The thrill from torturing and killing isn't the same kind of high that it used to be for him anymore,_ he surmised. _So, the man has to find more and more victims in a shorter time span to get the same level of euphoria._

His thoughts were interrupted when Gillian walked into his office briskly. "Cal, you need to see this," she informed him as she tuned the TV to news coverage of a society gala. Alissa was on screen being escorted by a tall blond man with startling blue green eyes.

"Ms. MacKenzie, rumor has it that you're helping The Lightman Group with the torture killings case that's been making the news the past couple of days. Are you really helping the FBI on this case because you knew the victims or because you were almost charged in a similar case out in LA a couple years ago?" the enthusiastic reporter demanded, moving the mike into Alissa's face.

"Someone's been talking to the press," Cal bit out and saw from the momentary flare of anger on Alissa's face that she thought so too.

"Oh, Cara, I'm just here to support my friends and the charity I've founded. Even if I was helping the Lightman Group or the FBI, I wouldn't be able to talk about an ongoing investigation. As for the one out in LA, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have met Jareth," she said with a big grin, pulling her escort more into camera range.

Smelling an even bigger story from the usually private head of MacKenzie Corporation, Cara asked who Jareth was.

"Well, I did want to wait for a better time, but he's my fiancé," Alissa told her, her fingers interlaced with Jareth's.

"Bollocks!" Cal grit out. "That's an out and out lie. And not talking about any 'ongoing investigations'- she all but told the bloody bastard that she's still on the case. I'm gonna go kill her now," he told Gillian as he stormed out, Foster hot on his heels.

"Cal, don't do it! Calm down first, for God's sake," she reasoned, then frowned when all she heard him mutter was "Won't hurt her for long."

Alissa lay in bed, her husband curled up in bed behind her when she heard pounding on the door downstairs.

"You did say he'd get here tonight and not wait until morning," he murmured into her hair as the pounding continued.

She turned to look over her shoulder at him with a smile. "Englishmen can have horrible tempers at times," she joked as she reluctantly got out of bed and quickly dressed.

She opened the door once downstairs and Cal flew in like the proverbial tornado. "So, where would you like to start?" she asked calmly as she walked into the living room, Cal close on her heels.

"Where would I like to-!? Well, for starters, I'd like to wring your pretty lil neck. What happened to staying out of harm's way until we figured out exactly who this bastard was? How's that for a start?"

Alissa threw her sweater off to the side. "Look, I already said I wasn't going to put a kibosh on my other businesses- that would seem too unusual and we're trying NOT to panic anyone, remember?"

"And what's this bullshit about a damn fiancé? You two are so in tune with each other, it's scary, and you only get that way from years of knowing each other- knowing someone intimately- and for a hell of a lot longer than two years, luv."

"Fine, he's been my husband for quite a few years, but if I had come out and said we were married back when Alissa MacKenzie was supposedly twenty back when we DID get married, my cover as her would have been blown, since he can't really pass for under his mid-30s," she shot back, getting into his face.

"So, how long have you two been married, then?" Cal asked, genuinely curious at this point.

"Well, according to the Gregorian Calendar, since 1992," she replied simply.

"Why say it like that? And how the hell did you hide it from my background check? Alias maybe?" he wondered, but her face told him that wasn't the answer.

"What does it matter?" she demanded. "You're just pissed off that I was able to lie and hide something this big from you. You can't handle that," she insisted, poking a finger into his chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, luv," he warned her in a tight voice.

"Oh, is that it? Cal Lightman doesn't fight women, huh? Especially one who's had enough training to kick his ass?" she taunted. She was mad at this point- she hated that they'd had to hide their marriage but she wasn't about to justify her reasoning to someone who wanted to keep her on the sidelines and protect her like she was some kind of goddamned damsel in distress.

"Like hell," he insisted as she swung at him and hit him on the cheek. It knocked him back a bit and he grabbed her by the arm as she went to swing for him again. He meant to grab and hold her still for a moment, but she twisted her wrist in such a way that she was free moments later. The momentum carried her to the floor momentarily before she jumped back up again and went for the ribs. He knocked her hand away and caught her in the mouth. He went to apologize, but thought better of it, considering how mad he still was at her.

"You could have told me about Jareth back when I first came to see you. Amber's obviously his," he told her as they continued to exchange a flurry of punches and blocks.

"Right! Says the man who didn't believe in Immortals," she shot back with a right cross.

Cal jumped back, tripped over the end table and fell hard on his ass. He looked up to see Loker coming into the room and decided for one more jab, though verbal this time. "Well, how does your husband feel about you shagging Loker?" he demanded.

If he'd blinked, he would have missed the slight nod Eli gave Alissa as she leaned down to give Lightman a hand up. "Does Jareth mind? Considering Loker was my lover years before I even met Jareth, and we're open about who we see, I don't see why," she said with a smile, then winced when it pulled on her split lip.

Cal looked back and forth between the two, the pieces starting to fall into place. "You're an Immortal too, then?"

"Yes," Loker acknowledged. "But that's not all that important right now- Ria's been kidnapped and it looks like it's the same guys we've been trying to catch."

Lightman looked over at Alissa and jerked a thumb in Loker's direction. "He doesn't know about the Watchers bit, then?"

Alissa shook her head as she walked over and took the clothes Jareth held for her. "No. Most Immortals don't," she responded.

"Will someone please tell me what the hell you're talking about and what it has to do with Torres?" Loker demanded.

"My guess would be that she's your Watcher and the Immortal behind this wants your head next," Cal surmised. "Where was the last place you saw her?" he asked, then grinned when Loker had a hard time forming a reply. "Your place, then? All right, we'll start there while you call Reynolds."


End file.
